Is it worth doing a master’s degree in journalism? Apparently, it is worth it, at least financially:
As Mindy McAdams notes in a post on the job outlook for journalism graduates:
New U.S. graduates with a bachelor’s degree in journalism or mass communication had a median annual salary of $30,000, according to a survey of spring 2006 graduates. New graduates with a master’s degree in journalism or mass communication had a median annual salary of $38,000.
As a professor at a graduate School of Journalism, I would recommend doing a master’s degree, but not due to the prospect of a higher salary. A master’s degree offers an opportunity to develop your critical skills. Good journalism is far more than just reporting the news. It is about analysing, understanding and making sense of the world around us.
The UBC Graduate School of Journalism where I teach is a great place to learn these skills. And Vancouver has much to recommend it as a place to live too.
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Thanks so much for this! I have been contemplating going back for my masters, but wasn’t sure it would be financially feasible. I know you mentioned a few schools, but do you have any others that recomend?
Thanks for writing about going to graduate school for journalism. I’m currently in the process of applying and I feel very strongly that getting a master’s will hone my skills and lead to new expertise.
I am not sure how you come to a conclusion that an Masters in Journalism is worth it. That extra $8,000 avg. pay increase takes an investment of about $60,000 to $100,000 to attain.
Example – Medill at Northwestern, great program. $75,000.
Nice if you have a benefactor. If borrowing to fund this, then that extra $8,000 is sucked up in payments. Not a good investment in my book.
Furthermore, Journalism jobs are paying less, not more. Elimination of benefits and shrinking industry makes a career choice in Journalism a bad bet.
Good points about developing critical thinking skills. This helped me tremendously when I got my master’s degree. I became a better editor.
A graduate degree is also useful if you want to teach. It’s very difficult to get a teaching job at a U.S. university with just a bachelor’s degree.